Boodle Hatfield's 300th Year and the Young London Print Prize
Throughout 2022, we commemorated our 300th year in various ways, one of which was our support of the Young London Print Prize. Having already partnered with Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair since its inception in 2016, extending our support to their Young London Print Prize project was a natural next step and a great way to mark this landmark year for the firm.
For those who are not familiar with the Young London Print Prize, it is an art competition for young people, based around the environment. The community interest company behind YLPP work with schools in low income communities across London, seeking to inspire young people and give them the opportunity to showcase their creativity using the medium of printmaking. All the work is created and judged by young people themselves and is themed around the issues of climate and ecology. Each year, the winning works are then exhibited at Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, alongside 500 world renowned printmakers.
In addition to our sponsorship of the competition itself, YLPP helped us celebrate our 300th anniversary by working with 300 additional young artists from diverse backgrounds, teaching them about the history of London’s climate over the last 300 years, and encouraging them to create an artwork in response to current climate changes. These 300 works were then combined to make one large collage, resulting in a final artwork entitled Art can change the world (again).
With the additional sponsorship that Boodle Hatfield provided for 2022, YLPP were also able to commission a climate essay, with the help of an advisory panel including young curators from YLPP, and other professionals. The essay looks at climate art: what it is, why it matters and how it can help people – a copy of the essay can be found here.
The final artwork, Art can change the world (again), which is now hanging proudly in our London Bankside office, serves not only as a celebration of Boodle Hatfield’s 300th year, but also as a lasting legacy for these 300 children and the fantastic ongoing work of the Young London Print Prize.
You can view a digital copy of the artwork below, or access a larger scale version here.